It has been almost five years since Rachel Chadee was attacked in the dead of the night while asleep in her mother’s home, doused with acid, forced to drink it and her face slashed open by her ex-husband.
Her alleged attacker, Roger Bissoo was arrested and charged with attempted murder after being on the run from police for three months.
As the years went by and the matter was being heard in the San Fernando Magistrates Court, Bissoo was granted $100,000 bail.
When the case was transferred to the San Fernando High Court in December 2019, Bissoo failed to appear.
A warrant was issued for his arrest and the peace that Chadee had managed to find was shattered.
Once again, Bissoo was in hiding.
On Christmas Day, the T&T Police Service sent out a public appeal for information on Bissoo’s whereabouts.
In an interview yesterday, Chadee said she knew he had skipped bail and was in hiding since 2019 but on December 22, 2020, she received a call that threats were being made against her, her children and mother.
She said all of her carefully laid plans to celebrate Christmas with her daughters were ruined.
“I never anything for the last minute, so everything was well prepared, when I got that call, all I could do was grab up some clothes for us to leave as quickly as we could.”
Even now, Chadee’s raspy voice is a reminder of the vicious attack, as her vocal cords were damaged by the corrosive liquid. She lives with this reminder each day and the constant fear that her attacker will find her again.
“I am terrified, my children are terrified, my mother is ill and this news is just making this worse,” she said.
She said she was tired of living in fear since her alleged attacker was granted bail and she wants the judiciary to weigh carefully the pros and cons of giving violent offenders bail.
“I just wish that things could be different for victims like us, things should be put in place to secure families and children, so we will know that when bail is given, there will be some kind of safety net. It is so unfair that he committed the crimes and we are on the run-sometimes the police are doing their job and when it goes in front of the magistrate it goes different, so who are you really going to blame?”
She said after the TTPS posted Bissoo’s photo, a Facebook user with the name ‘Roger Bissoon’ began leaving comments, saying he was being unfairly targeted by the police. The user also commented Christmas greetings on the post.
Chadee said she was shown the profile picture and she is convinced this person is actually Bissoo.
“He is showing he is not afraid of anyone. I am just desperate for police to catch him so we can go back home, we want to be free and peaceful,” she said.
Chadee also cautioned people against harbouring and hiding wanted criminals from the police.
In their release, the TTPS said Bissoo’s last known addresses were Ramjohn Trace, Penal and Sam Avenue, Palmyra.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the San Fernando Police Station at 652–2858, 652-1771, 652-3206 or 652-9367, or 999, 555, or make a report via the TTPS App.